Winter comes to much of the country this time of year and if you can't get outside to practice because of the weather or if you just want some indoor practice ideas, here are some activities to try.

Stay the line: Get out a yardstick (preferably a metal one that is nice and smooth) and lay a plastic or glass cup at one end. Balance a golf ball near the other end of the ruler and then putt a ball into the cup trying to keep the ball rolling on the yardstick without falling off in the first three feet. Do this correctly a number of times in a row, try to beat your own record or play against a friend. You will improve your ability to start the ball on line.

Thump the ground: Find a spot in your house where you can take a swing on carpet with a short iron (any size swing will do even a half swing) and put a piece of masking tape down about 6 inches intersecting the middle of your stance. Try and swing thumping the ground gently right on or after the masking tape line. If you're swinging too high, too shallow or standing up too early you will miss the tape all together, so this will help you steepen your swing properly and work on impact and angle of attack without having to hit a real ball!

Drop in the bucket: If you have the space to chip balls in your house down a hall way or in a basement, put a small utility bucket or garbage can out see how many times you can land the ball (real or wiffle/foam) into the bucket. If you don't have room to do this or just want to try something different use a quarter or dime instead of a ball and try to make proper contact hitting slightly down and through. If you do the coin will fly up in the air a little and that tells you are making good contact.

Whoosh it: Take a short iron and swing hold it upside down gripping it on the shaft just above the hosel. Swing it back and forth and listen for the "whoosh" of the handle to happen just about where the ball would be sitting. If the loudest sound happens before or after that point you might be throwing away a great power source. Make the sound louder at the right time and you can work on improving your club head speed for more distance!

Erika Larkin is the Director of Instruction at Larkin Golf Learning Community at Stonewall Golf Club in Gainesville, Virigina. She was named the 2012 Middle Atlantic PGA "Teacher of the Year" and the 2011 "Top Golf Pro" by Washingtonian Magazine... and she's oobgolf's newest columnist. She will be writing on a variety of topics including instruction, so if you have a question for her or an idea for a column, email her at ErikaLarkin@pga.com. Enjoy!